if it had been 11" i would have found a way to get it earlier than next year. i have a desktop and really wanted something ultra portable (and the old 12" PB was close to ideal). i have a 13" blackbook so that's what i'll stick with for the next year. ah well.<br><br>i've thought more about the small HDs. i am currently only using a little over 40GB on my blackbook so i suppose the things don't seem so small after all.<br><br>

I have been looking at 1.5ghz 12" PowerBooks on eBay...they sell for about $750. I am waiting to see if the prices drop.<br><br>The Airbook reminds me of my PB2400....you had to use an external floppy and CD for it. It was great for carrying around during the days of the Wallstreet PowerBook.<br><br><br><br><br>_______<br>

I really like my 12" PB.<br>I think the thinness of the MacBook Air will make up for the larger 13.3" screen.<br>A year or two down the road maybe I'll get a refurbished MacBook Air (or not).<br>I am very interested in seeing the reviews of the 64GB flash drive.<br><br><br>

I like the compromise for the most part. Had a smaller outer margin been possible, I'd be happier.<br><br>I'm still wondering what that CPU is. Does the FSB speed tell us anything?<br><br>I'm eagerly awaiting take-apart photos. Can the HD be swapped (outside of warranty) without a soldering iron? I expect the battery can be. It's probably easier to change a battery in one of these than in an iPod, say. Then again, I've never bought a second battery for any of my past notebooks anyway.<br><br>Given that SSD is so costly (from any source), it's tempting to wait and see if a 160GB drive (like iPod Classic) shows up. The Classic 160 is thicker than than the 80, and I assume the 160 drive just couldn't fit in an Air. But maybe within a few months new components will arrive for BTO options.<br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>http://TeamMacOSX.com | http://MacClan.net

[color:blue]"I'm still wondering what that CPU is. Does the FSB speed tell us anything?"</font color=blue><br><br>It looks like the new cpu is a Merom processor. <br>It can't be an ultra low voltage Merom because the ULV Meroms only have speeds up to 1.33GHz. <br>The odds are it is a low-voltage Merom.<br>The problem is Meroms are old technology. They still have the old 65nm fabrication.<br>But the absolutely amazing thing is this Merom chip is 60 percent smaller than other Merom chips. <br>It is the same size as the upcoming Montevina SFF (small form factor) chips.<br>The surprise? This processor must have been made by Intel exclusively for Apple!<br><br>Intel has announced that they will launch their Montevina mobile processors in May. <br>The Montevina chips will have the smaller 45nm die fabrication.<br>They will have speeds of 2.26GHz and 2.4GHz. <br>Montevina processors will be faster, cooler, and will provide longer battery life than the current MacBook Air processor.<br><br>Just in case you are wondering... If the new Merom chip is the same size as the upcoming Montevina SFF chip then what's the difference?<br>With the 45nm technology they will be able to put more transistors in the same amount of space. The result is more power in the same size chip.<br><br>[color:blue]"Can the HD be swapped without a soldering iron?"</font color=blue><br>I don't know. I too am waiting for a review.<br><br><br><br>

"... a portable is more about the weight..."<br><br>Thinking about this new MBA a little more, I have to agree. As a Mac which is almost "feather-light", it's definitely a winner in the portability category.<br><br>- alec -

Good to know--and it's clear from the keynote that you're right, Intel did this just for Apple. With May 4 months away, it's good that Intel could give Apple something now. But we have a glimpse into MacBook Air 2! (Which I won't wait for: when it comes out, we'll already have the next thing after THAT on the horizon--that's an inescapable fact of life.)<br><br>(No chance of this being an underclocked Montevina, released early before the "real" GHz chips have reached useful yields? And maybe as a result drawing even less power than the higher Montevinas will?)<br><br>nagr[color:red]o</font color=red>mme<br><br>I require stroyent!<br>TeamMacOSX.com | MacClan.net

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